A cranial fossa is formed by the floor of the
cranial cavity
The cranial cavity, also known as intracranial space, is the space within the skull that accommodates the brain. The skull is also known as the cranium. The cranial cavity is formed by eight cranial bones known as the neurocranium that in human ...
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There are three distinct cranial fossae:
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Anterior cranial fossa
The anterior cranial fossa is a depression in the floor of the cranial base which houses the projecting frontal lobes of the brain. It is formed by the orbital plates of the frontal, the cribriform plate of the ethmoid, and the small wings and ...
(''fossa cranii anterior''), housing the projecting frontal lobes of the brain
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Middle cranial fossa
The middle cranial fossa is formed by the sphenoid bones, and the temporal bones. It lodges the temporal lobes, and the pituitary gland. It is deeper than the anterior cranial fossa, is narrow medially and widens laterally to the sides of the skull ...
(''fossa cranii media''), separated from the posterior fossa by the clivus and the petrous crest housing the temporal lobe
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Posterior cranial fossa
The posterior cranial fossa is the part of the cranial cavity located between the foramen magnum, and tentorium cerebelli. It is formed by the sphenoid bones, temporal bones, and occipital bone. It lodges the cerebellum, and parts of the brai ...
(''fossa cranii posterior''), between the foramen magnum and tentorium cerebelli, containing the brainstem and cerebellum
Additional images
File:Cranial fossae - animation.gif, Animation.
File:Sobo 1909 45.png, Illustration.
File:727 Cranial Fossae.jpg, Superior view and lateral view.
See also
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Fossa (anatomy)
In anatomy, a fossa (; : fossae ( or ); ) is a depression or hollow, usually in a bone, such as the hypophyseal fossa (the depression in the sphenoid bone).Venieratos D, Anagnostopoulou S, Garidou A., A new morphometric method for the sella tur ...
References
{{Compound structures of skull
Brain anatomy